The Haunted Mansion
by Dragonfly-Moonlight
Summary: Speed has an unusual encounter and Pops receives a threat
1. Chapter 1

Blue eyes twinkled and glittered as Speed cupped a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing. Once again, Spritle and Chim Chim were racing around the yard with Pops chasing after them. The two scamps had started to sneak towards the Mach 5 as Speed had packed the trunk with his luggage when Pops had caught them and chased them away. Regaining some of his composure, Speed got behind the wheel and started the engine. The Mach 5 roared to life.

"I'll see you later, Pops!" he waved. "I'll call you when I get to the hotel!"

"Drive carefully, Speed!" his father called back.

"I will!" he promised then took off.

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"Pops!" Spritle wailed. "I wanted to with Speedy! Chim Chim, too!"

"That's too bad," Pops stated firmly, folding his arms. He wasn't about to admit it but he'd felt a little winded after chasing his youngest. It only reaffirmed his decision to get back into shape. "There isn't room for you in the Mach 5 and you know that!"

"But Pops!" came the protest. Barely managing to keep his temper in, Pops squatted before his youngest and looked him in the eye.

"No 'buts,' Spritle," he told the boy, keeping his voice neutral. "Every time you sneak aboard the Mach 5, you put yourself, and Speed, in danger. You need to stop. It's wrong, it's dangerous, and you know that."

"But Chim Chim and I have been careful before!" Spritle pouted.

"It doesn't matter how careful you are," Pops informed him gently. "Just like it doesn't matter how careful Speed is when he's driving. It's the other people on the road that you have to worry about. And it's still dangerous and could get your brother into trouble. A _lot_ of trouble, Spritle."

"Like how much trouble?"

"He could go to jail," Pops stated solemnly. "For a very long time."

"He could?" Spritle whispered, his eyes wide.

"Yes. He could," Pops affirmed. "And Inspector Detector could lose his job from all the times he's let Speed get away with it."

"I never thought about that," the boy mumbled.

"I know," Pops soothed. "Just don't do it anymore, okay? Please?"

"Okay, Pops. I promise."

"Thank you, Spritle," Pops breathed, casting a glance at the house across the street. "Just so you know, I will hold you to this promise. You can't break it, not even once. Do you understand?"

"Uh-huh. I understand."

"Good. Now go play."

"Okay!"

With that, Spritle took off, Chim Chim right behind him. Pops watched them scamper away, a light smile on his face, and his eyes tearing away from the new neighbour's house. He just hoped that he'd gotten through to his youngest. They couldn't afford the scandal the new lady had threatened them with. They simply couldn't.

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Speed lightly tapped his fingers against the steering wheel, music playing softly as he drove. It had begun to rain about an hour after he'd left Farmington Hills, and it had become increasingly difficult to see the road in front of him, even with the Mach 5's special headlights.

'I'm going to have to pull over soon,' he thought darkly, squinting to see better. He couldn't believe how dark it had gotten and so suddenly, at that. 'This can't be good. Just a few more miles then I'll pull over to wait. Before it gets any worse.'

A flash of lightning danced across the sky, followed by a rumble of thunder. Speed sighed. Just what he needed.

'Just relax,' he scolded himself. 'You don't _have_ to rush there. So the weather isn't the greatest right now. Big deal. You can still get there on time.'

He'd just taken a deep breath and had started to relax when lightning flashed across the sky again, striking a tree on the side of the road. The tree came crashing down in front of him. Instinctively, he activated the auto-jacks and sailed over the tree. Upon landing however, he heard something that sounded like an explosion, and the Mach 5 started to spin. The road had become too wet and slick for him to maintain control, though Speed fought desperately to keep the car, and his panic, reigned in.

'I can do this . . .' was his last thought as the Mach 5 spun off the road . . .

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A groan escaped him. His head pounded and his tongue practically filled his mouth. He tried to raise a hand to his temple . . . only to hiss in pain.

'What hit me?' he wondered.

"I wouldn't move just yet, if I were you," a cool, feminine voice stated. "That was one hell of an accident that you were in."

"Hnnn?"

Cool fingers pressed against his temples and started to massage them. The pain in his head started to ease up a little and his eyes fluttered open. Through blurring vision, Speed made out red hair and bright emerald eyes.

'Accident? What accident? If I've been in an accident, where are my parents?'

"Just relax for the moment. You have a mild concussion along some bruising on your face and on your sides . . . you're lucky you don't have any cracked ribs."

He felt himself being lifted up and pillows piling up behind his back. A cup pressed against his lips. He was thirsty and he knew it. But it pained him to swallow.

"Better get you something for the pain," she murmured. She disappeared out of Speed's visual range then reappeared several moments later. A tiny, sharp pain pierced his arm and he whimpered slightly in protest.

"Shhh, it's okay," she soothed. "You'll feel better soon. I promise."

As soon as it had started, the sharp pain disappeared. The cup brushed against his lips once more and he found it easier to swallow.

Speed drank until he could drink no more. And he noticed that he could see and breathe easier. His vision cleared, allowing him to get a better view of the woman caring for him.

As he'd seen before, she had vibrant red and dazzling emerald green eyes. Her hair was straight and smooth, draping over her shoulders, into her lap, and onto the bed. She had a slender build, and curves that, had he been feeling like himself, he could have sworn were meant for driving.

"Thank you," he managed to rasp out. "Am I in the hospital?"

"No," she replied. "You're in a private residence not too far from the highway. But an ambulance _is_ on the way . . . should be here in another hour or so, we're that far from the city."

"How did I get here? Shouldn't I have stayed at my car?"

"You'd have drowned before anyone found you," came the answer. "Your car flipped several times before crashing against a tree then landing upside down in a ditch. With the rain pouring down as heavily as it is, you would have been under water in about twenty minutes. You're rather lucky to be alive, young man, and to have as minimal injuries as you do."

"Are you a doctor or something?"

"You could say that," she smiled. "Now just get some rest. I'll be back to check on you in a few minutes."

With that, she got up and silently left the room . . .

Some time later, Speed awoke with a start. He hadn't meant to fall asleep but he'd never felt as sore as he did at that moment.

'So why'd I wake up?' he wondered, trying to shake the sleep from his eyes. He glanced around briefly then his eyes widened.

The room barely held any light . . . yet he could see everything as clear as day . . . and _that_ had him frightened.

'This can't be real. It just can't be real!'

In front of him stood a tall, pale figure, its clothing and hair fluttering in an unfelt breeze. More figures appeared after that, all of them deathly white, and coming and going without a care.

'This isn't happening . . . I'm imagining it . . . It's the concussion. It has to be the concussion. I should just close my eyes and go back to sleep.'

Trembling, Speed did just that, willing the images to go away. A slight chill stole over him as invisible hands crept down his flesh.

"Not real," he whispered. "Not real. Not real."

The hands roamed lower, caressing and teasing as they went. Speed moaned in his throat, shivers of delight coursing through him . . .

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"How's he doing, doctor?" The entire Racer clan, along with Trixie and Sparky, gazed at the elderly doctor, their eyes hopeful.

"He'll be all right," the white-haired man assured them. "A few contusions and abrasions, some minor lacerations, and a mild concussion. He's bruised all over his face and chest but no broken ribs. He'll be sore for a few days but nothing major. Have Speed take it easy for a few weeks, just to be on the safe side. No racing during that time."

"Thank you, doctor," Mrs. Racer breathed.

"Just doing my duty," the old man smiled. "You can go in and see him now."

Quietly, the small group entered the room. Speed smiled as best he could when he saw them.

"Hey," he croaked out.

"Hey . . ."

The room fell silent for a few moments. No one wanted to break the silence. Finally, Speed took a deep breath and asked, "Where's the woman who cared for me?"

"Where's the woman who cared for me?"

As much as he feared the anser, and the glares from Trixie, he had to know, had to be sure that it was all a dream. He glanced from one confused face to the next.

"What woman, Speed?" Sparky finally inquired. "There was no one with you at the crash scene."

"Crash scene?"

"Yeah," the red-haired youth replied. "They found the Mach 5 wrapped around a tree five feet away from the road."

"Inspector Detector said the car flipped several times," Trixie stated quietly, "before it crashed into the tree. Someone driving by called 9-1-1 but there was no one there by the time the emergency crews arrived."

"But I saw . . ." He then clamped his mouth shut. If he told them what he had seen and felt, and where he had been, they'd think that he'd gone crazy. Or had one nasty hallucination.

'Especially if I was found in the Mach 5 and not some house.'

"Saw what, Speed?"

"Must have been nothing," he smiled. "Probably just hit my head too hard or something. So . . . what did the doctor say?"


	2. Chapter 2

_Ten years later . . ._

Speed growled in frustration as he did his best to get his hair under control. He had a meeting to go to, a very important meeting, but his hair didnt seem to want to obey him. Not today. He'd already spent half an hour trying to get it to look the way that he wanted to, and his meeting was in the next twenty.

After five more minutes, Speed let out an aggravated sigh and threw his hands down in defeat. No matter what he tried, it wouldn't work. He knew it.

'Best just to get going and deal with it later,' he told himself as he shrugged into his jacket. Then he grabbed his keys and was out the door.

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For the last five years or so, Speed had been involved with a group known as The Ghost Hunters and Paranormal Extraordinaires, much to his parents' shock and dismay. It had even shocked Trixie and Sparky, his dearest and greatest of friends.

At first, his involvement had been seen as something . . . not quite so serious. Something for him to pass the time with. However, as time wore on, he had stayed on, despite the number of people that had come and gone. His parents had been concerned . . . were still concerned about his involvement. Things were now strained between them and him. His involvement with the group had also led to his break up with Trixie.

Life, after that, moved on, as he soon learned. He found he enjoyed being single and able to go wherever he wanted without having to answer to a girlfriend. It liberated him in ways he hadn't even imagined.

Of course, after the break up, he hadn't become involved with anyone else. At least . . . not with anyone living.

Two years after his car accident, Speed had found the old mansion he'd seen that red-headed woman in. He knew that it had been the place because it had _felt_ familiar. When he'd found it, he'd seen that it had been put on the market to be sold at a very, very cheap rate, enabling him to buy it. After he'd moved in . . . well, the red-head never showed up but others had . . . and that's when the . . . encounters had begun.

Why he was able to see them, he didn't know. The head of GHaPE figured that it had something to do with the car accident. Something inside Speed had been unhinged, as it were. It had opened doorways in his mind that allowed him to see things that most people could never see. And since then . . .

'Since then,' he sighed, 'I get sexed up. Every night.'  
Not that he was truly complaining. It just felt . . . strange. Mostly. He just liked to get some sleep every now and then.

'Can't be helped, though. They were there before me. I'm living in _their_ house. As much as it's mine, it's theirs as well.'

With that thought to amuse him, Speed climbed into his car and started it up. For once, the meetings for GHaPE were not being held in his home and Speeed was thankful for that. His house was a disaster area after everyone left and not because of the ghosts, either.

'Humans can be messier than those ghosts,' he chuckled, the engine of his car purring. With a quick glance at the address, Speed shifted the car into reverse and left, unaware of the ghostly, emerald green eyes watching him.


	3. Chapter 3

It was happening again. Speed knew it. He could always tell by the buzzy feeling that he got.

Why it was starting to happen again, he really didn't care. He just knew that he relished in the tingle that started in the back of his mind and spread throughout the rest of his body. It left him feeling warm all over, as if he'd been wrapped in an electric blanket on a cold winter's day.

Speed closed his eyes as the tingling began. It always started out slowly, completely washing over him as it made its way throughout his body. Nothing in the world could compare to this feeling. Nothing.

For a moment, the world stood still. He could see the other members of the group staring at him, their eyes filled with wonderment. The leader of the group was saying something but Speed couldn't hear him. The questions weren't for him, anyway. They were for the lost soul that had decided to use him to speak.

How long the questioning had gone on, Speed didn't know. He only knew it was over when the presence left him and his senses had returned. Then he was on his knees, gasping for air. Immediately, the members of GHaPE were at his side.

"Speed? Are you all right?"

"Someone get some water!"

"That was freaky, man! How often does that happen to you?"

Speed managed a faint smile as he pushed himself off his knees. He'd forgotten that they had some initiates with them today.

'Of course,' he thought, a tiny frown crossing his feature, 'this shouldn't have even happened. We weren't set up to summon anyone.'

"Speed . . . are you all right?"

The question regarding his well-being quickly brought him back. He rose carefully to his feet.

"Well," Speed began, quickly abolishing his frown and smiling at those who were still crowded around him, "I'm all right. No harm, no foul. Thank you for your concern. Gotta love it when they come for a surprise visit."

That received a few chuckles from the older members of the group. Then he gazed at the initiates.

"As for how often it happens . . . it's very hard for me to say. The ghosts choose whom they wish to speak to or through, not by who wants them to. Please remember that. And please remember that we're not always successful, either. Restless spirits have feelings, too."

"Well said," the leader, young and stoutly man named Zack, stated as he made his way through the crowd. "Very well said. Now, the meeting is pretty much over. If those still interested in remaining with us will follow the other members into the basement, the commencement ceremony will begin. Thank you."

As everyone started to file towards the basement, Zack grabbed Speed by the arm, and whispered, "We need to talk."

"Okay," he murmured, walking away from the group. "What about?"

"About what happened," Zack said quietly. "I normally would ask if you'd tried to summon a spirit before the meeting but I know better than that. There was a reason for this ghost's visit. A very serious one. Speed, I really don't know how to say this but . . . someone in your family is in danger."


End file.
